The care of reptiles and amphibians in captivity

General care

Some biological considerations

Thermoregulation; social behaviour

Obtaining specimens and making a start

Selecting species; legal aspects; selecting specimens; preparations

Accommodation

Cages; equipment

Creating the right environment

Temperature control; lighting control; humidity control; control of biological factors; the planted vivarium

Foods and feeding

Vegetable food; animal food; supplements; methods of feeding; water; overfeeding

Breeding

Sex determination; conditioning; stimuli; mating; pregnancy; parturition; egg-laying; incubation; rearing young; breeding programmes

Diseases

Controlling diseases; environmental diseases; nutritional diseases; bacterial infections; protozoan infections; endoparasites; ectoparasites; fungal infections; miscellaneous disorders

Handling

Descriptions of species and their maintenance

Caudata: newts and salamanders

Ambystomidae: Mole salamanders

Salamandridae

Plethodontidae: Woodland salamanders

Anura: frogs and toads

Pipidae: tongueless frogs.

(cont) Discoglossidae: fire-bellied toads, painted frog and midwife toad

Pelobatidae: spadefoot toads

Ranidae

Raninae: true frogs

Mantellinae

Dendrobatidae: poison arrow frogs

Rhacophoridae

Microhylidae

Bufonidae: true toads

Hylidae: tree-frogs

Leptodactylidae

Crocodilia: crocodiles and alligators

Chelonia: turtles and tortoises

Pelomedusidae

Chelidae: side-necked turtles

Chelydridae: mud, musk and snapping turtles

Emydidae: freshwater turtles

Testudinidae: land tortoises

Trionychidae: soft-shelled turtles

Squamata: sub-order lacertilia: lizards

Gekkonidae: geckos

Eublepharinae

Sphaerodactylinae

Gekkoninae

Xantusidae: night lizards

Iguanidae: iguanas

Agamidae: agamas

Chamaeleontidae: chameleons

Scincidae: skinks

Cordylidae: zonures

Gerrhosauridae: plated lizards

Lacertidae

Teiidae: tegus and whiptails

Anguidae: slow-worms, glass lizards and alligator lizards

Varanidae: monitors

Amphisbaenidae

Squamata: sub-order serpentes: snakes

Typhlopidae and leptotyphlopidae: blind snakes.

(cont) Boidae: boas and pythons

Colubridae: typical snakes

Venomous snakes

Colubridae

Elapidae: cobras

Viperidae: vipers

Viperinae

Crotalinae: pit vipers

Laws pertaining to the keeping of reptiles and amphibians

Herpetological societies.